BENGALURU : The story of Veerappan, a forest brigand, and a detailed description of his capture can now be read by the audience as a book. Titled ‘Veerappan-Dantachorana Bennati’, the book will be unveiled by police commissioner Alok Kumar and member of parliament, Bangalore South constituency, Tejaswi Surya.
The story has been written in English as ‘Veerappan - Chasing The Brigand’ by K Vijay Kumar, who spearheaded the Operation Cocoon, that led to Veerappan’s encounter. The book was translated in Kannada by Dr D V Guruprasad, former director general of police and published by Eka-Westland’s new imprint.
On the occasion, Guruprasad will interact with Gopal Hosur, deputy commander, Special Task Force, and filmmaker Nagappa Maradagi, who escaped from Veerappan’s captivity.
The book is a lucid and incisive account of the rise and fall of one of India’s most dreaded forest brigand and relives the various incidents that shaped Veerappan’s life - right from his birth in Gopinatham in 1952, to his death in 2004 in a shootout in Padi.
It traces his dramatic rise from a small-time poacher and Sandalwood smuggler to a brutal fugitive who held three states to ransom for two decades. The ruthless killings and high-profile kidnappings masterminded by Veerappan, including the 108-day ordeal involving Kannada cinema superstar, Dr Rajkumar, are described in detail in the book. Apart from this, the book delivers top-to-bottom information about the STF’s encounter with Veerappan. The book will be launched in Manorama Hall, Indian Institute of World Culture, Basavanagudi, on June 30 at 10.30am.